Project Cyber
by Pluto Skull Productions
Summary: Double D is on the verge of a ground breaking advancement in science: a way to turn minds into computer data. But he fears that someone is after him and he fears more what he must do to protect the people he loves.


Author's Notes: This is something that I've had in my head for awhile, so I decided to write it up while trying to come up with ideas for my other stories. Actually, just think of this as a preview to another story that I hope to do in the future. Hope you all like it.

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><p>Project Cyber<p>

Double D fingers danced across the computer's keyboard. He had started keeping a journal of what he did ever since he started this little "project" of his. Like all great ideas it started out as a concept, but never did actually imagine that his concept could actually be utilized in his own lifetime, but such were the ways of a high school student with a genius level intellect.

_Journal Entry Number Twenty-Nine_

_The mice that I have selected as test subjects appear to be responding well to the base electrical elements of the procedure. Better than I hoped for actually, as there have been no negative responses to it yet. Yet being the operative word in this case. As I am still uncertain to the effect this procedure will have on them, I only had them connected to the electrical pulse devices for ten point four-seven seconds._

_The process was successful to the extent that I am willing to attempt at this stage. A whole one percent of the minds belonging to the experimented rodents have been successful digitized. My vision is already becoming fuzzy. I have not slept for three days. Though it is morning and I already hear my friends calling at my door, I fear that I must turn them away. I must rest and analyze the new data in the morning._

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><p>He had started this project sometime ago. He had come up with the concept at the end of Jr. High. The last few months of eighth grade in fact. But, at the encouragement of a teacher that he had met on his first day of high school, Mr. Freud, Double D decided to see if his concept cold be expanded upon. Freud had suggest writing a paper on the subject and turn it into a college of science foundation, but Double D decided to test it first to see if the procedure was viable.<p>

The first test was unfortunate. The mouse he had captured to test the first electric pulse device on was electrocuted by the vast amounts of electricity he had to use and it also caused a blackout over the entire neighborhood. Thankfully there was a storm that night and everyone chalked it up to a lighting strike. Once they power came back on, his computer only registered that a millionth of a percent of the deceased subject's mind had been downloaded. Though the first test was hardly exemplary, it compelled Double D to improve and streamline his designs. He saw that his idea was possible.

The concept itself was simple. To create a new way to interact with computers, beyond keys, buttons and touch pads. With his new concept, one would be able to digitize their mind and roam the network, computer or "cyber verse", if you will, much like how a person would interact with the real world. This would even go beyond virtual reality helmets. With his method, a person could touch or feel, much like they could in real life…

_Journal Entry Number Thirty_

_I have rested myself and placated my two friends into leaving me alone for at least a few days. Now that I ran my program to fully analyzed the data, I have found some very interesting results._

_When I said one percent earlier, one might get the impression that I was talking about a very small amount of data. But apparently the mind, even one as simplistic as a mouse, contains an absurd amount of computable data. I need to run to the store tomorrow and purchase new data servers to contain the data I hope to garner in future experiments. However my lack of funds is short, I may need to take a break from experimentation to earn more capital. I surmise that it will be easy to arrange more tutoring lessons with Kevin, Nazz, Sarah and Jonny, but other than that I can't be sure._

_The mice have not exhibited any negative effects to the procedure, seventeen hours after said incident, but I will continue to monitor them as the days go on. I do not expect the outcomes to be this favorable later on._

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><p>Even though he was now half way through his second year of high school, Double D had made great leaps in his project but there were still some problems.<p>

The biggest issue was the digitization of minds. Putting an electrical current through an organism was not only common medical practice in this modern times, it was inevitable in nature. It literally happens all the time, anywhere from changes in weather to the electromagnetic fields of two objects interacting. But siphon the electrical pulses from a being, much less a human being, was unheard. Never attempted. But not only was Double D determined to be the first person to accomplish it, he was determined to make it a staple of everyday living.

The major, and most hazardous, issue was what would happen to the body once the process was done. With no electric pulses to support it, the body would die. The organs would simply shut down as they no longer were getting any orders from the brain. Double hoped to remedy this with a chair or capsule of some sort which would charge the body with enough electricity to keep the organs running. A stasis pod, as the common man has dubbed such a concept. It would keep the body alive until the occupant's mind was "downloaded" back into the body. This was the most unknown and theoretical part of his idea, and he knew that he would have to modify its basis as he went further into the experiments.

_Journal Entry Number Thirty-One_

_I have decided to take a few days off from the experiments. Not only do I suspect that the mice are gladden by this, but it gives me an opportunity to get caught up on the housework that I have been neglecting. The entire house, save my room and the garage where I have been working, was covered in sticky notes written but mother and father. Like any child, I have been reprimanded before, but nothing like this. Intent on my pursuits, I have slipped greatly. The house was a messy fire hazard (Something that I suspect will become its common appearance if I continue in this endeavor) and my school grades have slipped. Solid Bs, except in gym where I have always received failure, in all classes. While this may not sound bad to many other people, in my case it is a sign of detrimental degradation._

_On the plus side, Kevin, Nazz, Sarah, Jonny and even Rolf have agreed to be tutored by me. They have even graciously paid me fifty dollars each per session with a total of fifteen sessions so far this week. I suspect that their parents are forcing them to take the tutoring as I notified them before I offered it to their prodigies. Although Sarah didn't seem to share this characteristic. I sincerely hope that she isn't going into another one of her girlfriend phases again. It is faltering, I must admit here that I strongly recuperate the feeling, but it is one of the last things a need at this time. That and Jimmy going back into his animal-like rage sworn to a vendetta against my person._

_Now with the tutoring and housework out of the way, I plan to venture to town tomorrow to purchase my new servers. Hopefully I will have an adequate amount for the rest of the experiments. Downloading the fourteen mice mentalities that I am working with will most likely require the entirety of their storage capacity._

_I feel that there is one issue that I must address. There was a car in front of my house earlier this day. In fact, the others have told me that their have been a multitude cars in front of my home the past few days, but I was to busy working on my project to notice them. It has since left but a new one, a different make and model, has taken up residence in the exact spot. I would like to call it a coincidence, but both have on way windows. I certainly hope that this is not a foreshadowing of ill events…_

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><p>Double D sat his chair, reflecting on all the prior information as well as the applications for his technology. His desired application was that it could be generally used by the public. However, even with the possibility that this technology could see use in his lifetime, this was not likely by any standards of the term.<p>

His first most likely application would be military hacking and anti-hacking use. In his theory, the human mind, once properly digitized, would be able to calculate and react faster than a supercomputer by comparison. This would render all hacker viruses, even regular viruses, obsolete just by implementation and undoubtedly whatever world power obtained the technology would be able to gain access to their enemies, even their allies, data systems so fast that it would not register or give them time to counteract the effort. It would be the informational equivalent to shooting a man in his sleep with a silencer.

Ultimately, Double D knew that any nation on the planet would do anything to get their hands on his technology. Though he was determined to develop the technology secretly until such a time when the public could use, he knew it was impossible. By testing his technology the way he did, he knew he must have already broken a few laws. Any testing further testing would amount to more crimes, and testing it on a human being, even himself, would be a human rights violation without government approval. Sometimes it was a human rights violation even with government approval, not that any nation on Earth would admit to committing such a violation. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to continue. There was too much to gain, but everything to lose.

Double D once more turned to his computer.

_Journal Entry Number Thirty-Two_

_Sarah informed me of a disturbing event that occurred this day. Apparently, one of the men in the vehicles that have been in front of my house, I had to walk right past one of them in order to go to town, have left his and started poking around the outside of my house. Sarah said that he looked like an agent type fellow, straight out of the movies with his black suit, tie and sunglasses, and that he seem to be looking for a way in while speaking into a small communicator attached to his ear. Sarah chased him off for me, I hope that he was not harmed too badly, by throwing a lawn mower at him. Thankfully it seems she ran him off before he could get what he wanted, as my doors where still locked and there were no signs of forced entry._

_That's not the most disturbing information that she gave me. The man that she had chased away, in only her opinion, did not know how to speak English. She had yelled a few "choice" words at him while chasing him. He only responded by yelling into his wire with a language she was not familiar with. From the way she described the accent to me, he sounded like he originated in Western Europe._

_I found this vary concerning. I know my father and mother typically deal with men from overseas, but they don't usually try to sneak around our house unnoticed. Could have something to do with my research? It cannot be possible. I haven't divulged the subject of my project to anyone, not even Ed or Eddy, my closest friends. In fact, the only other person who knows anything is Dr. Freud, and he shouldn't even be aware of the fact that I'm conducting experiments._

_Could my parents have discovered my research? Would they even understand it? Would they even contemplate the attempt to sell it to someone overseas? I shudder to even think these thoughts, but I cannot push them anyway. This research is too revolutionary. If left in the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous…_

_I must attempt on last experiment…_

_And then I know what I must do. I can only hope they will forgive me, if there is an end._

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><p>Now deep into the night, Double D sat at his computer for the final time. This would be his last journal entry in this place, his home. He had already copied all the files on the servers onto every disk and drive he had and packed them, along with food and clothing, in a large backpack and duffel bag.<p>

Typing this journal entry was hard for him. It was just what he was about to do, but also the smell. The smell of burnt flesh. He couldn't stand it, but he had to finish this last entry. He had too much riding on this. His place in the world, his sanity and, undoubtedly, whether or not he was going to be alive in the near future.

_Journal Entry Number Thirty-Three (Final Entry for Journal 1)_

_This will be the final journal entry for this journal._

_The final experiment was a success, at least in one regard. I have successfully digitized one hundred percent of the test subjects' minds. However, due to the imperfection of my electric pulse device, all the test subjects have been electrocuted. An undeniable negative reaction to the procedure. They would have died anyway. Once the brainwaves are gone, their bodies would have simply shut down. Organs are like an army and an army can function without a constant stream of orders._

_I have copied all my research data, as well as the blueprints to my device, onto my various copy disks and flash drives. Once my final deeds here are done, I shall take them with me. If I stay, not only will I be at risk, but so will my family and friends. The entire world will be threatened if they get any world power gets their hands on my research. I plan to continue my research in secret, until the day the world is ready for it._

Double D had put this entry and all the others on a single disk that he planned to hide in the cul-de-sac. Someday, soon he hoped, he would be able to guide someone to it. Once read, they would understand what was going on. It wasn't much, but perhaps it would give them, and himself, much needed peace after what would be happening tonight.

He quickly accessed the internet and logged into his e-mail account. He saw a car, one of the many that seemed to take delight in haunting his stoop as of late, stopping in front of his home. He typed quickly and sent a single out to everyone on his contact list.

_I'll always be watching you all and caring for you, from the other side of the system or from the veil of death. I only ask that you remember me with fond memory and to treat my parents, and each other, well._

_Eddward_

_P.S. Someone, please take care of my ants. They're in the shed out back._

Once that was done, he hit the power button. He did not have the time to painstakingly delete every file on his computer and the servers. Even if he did and they survived what he was going to do, someone might be able to salvage the files with a recovery program. He grabbed two strong magnets, which he usually reserved for use in Eddy's scams, and placed them on the side of each server. All data on their hard drives was now erased with no hope of recovery.

"And now," Double D said to himself, "for the finishing touches."

He went into the garage. Though his parents did not spend much time at home, their cars needed repaired as frequently as any other person's. Yet another task that typically fell to their son's shoulders. On one side, right up against a wall, were three jugs filled nearly to the brim with gasoline. Taking one jug in hand, he splashed the combustible liquid against the walls, coating them until the entire facility smelled of the stuff. This place was once the home to a vast proportion of various creations that he had constructed at Eddy's whim… But no more.

The garage was now condemned.

Next he grabbed the second jug and began combing the living room with it. He had many good memories here. Well, some not so good, but memorable in their own ways. Such as the time he spent trying to decrypted the map made by Eddy's brother, The night he taught Ed about static electricity with explosive results ad when Ed succumbed to yet another one of his allergies. But no memories such as these would grace this room ever again.

The living room was now condemned.

The grabbed hold of the last gasoline jug and went up the stairs, tipping the jug so that he left a trail behind. He led this odorous path up to his room. Once there, he place the jug on the floor and reflected on the place. It was his home, his sanctuary. A sanctuary that no longer held any safety for him. He sat on his bed, which offered and gave him rest and luxury when he asked for it. The countless times he had slept here! His vast quantities of books, their knowledge a golden apple, the forbidden fruit that was his Achilles heel, yet never destined to accompany him on the journey he was to undertake. Gift from his forbearers, earned with sweat, tears and dedication to their crafts! The shelf that once held his ants was now empty. He had already moved them to the shed out back, where he hoped someone would lay claim to them.

He grabbed the jug once more and poured it in the middle of the room. In this room, filled with so many agents that despised the heat, he did not have to expend more time in coating everything. He poured until there was only a little bit left in the jug.

Double D gazed outside. True to his calculations, the car tasked to observe him at this time was pulling away. He had five minutes before the next one would take its place. He strapped on his backpack and duffel, filled with his essentials and grabbed his wallet. He had enough to pay for a bus ticket and had, unfortunately, stolen the rest from his parent's room. Though the action was criminal, not the most criminal one he has committed as of late and surely will not be the last, he believe that his parents would agree that it was better than leaving it behind.

He took one last look at his room, the smell of gasoline overcoming the smell of the dead mice, and closed the door.

His bedroom, his sanctuary and his life were now condemned.

He opened the front door and walked out. He took the jug and poured the last of the gasoline in the entryway, then threw the jug into the house. Double D reached into pocket and pulled out a box of matches. He rarely used matches, but he had decided that they would become too useful to leave behind, especially for his task.

Double D had to destroy it all. It was necessary, not only to erase every trace of his research, but also to protect his parents. They would have to start over again, in another town preferably, with no current connection to him. He felt that he did not have to worry about anyone capturing them in order to be used as tools against their own son, as they were always traveling with full security details.

He did not have to worry about the fire getting out of control. He had set up an automated phone messenger that would call the fire department exactly ten minutes after the fire started, by which point the house would be consumed by the flames and have destroyed the necessary objects sufficiently. Double D lit the match and threw it into the house.

The living room immediately erupted into flames, spreading faster than he thought it would, but in this case that was actually the best thing that could happen. Part him wanted to stay and watch quite literally everything he knew burn to the ground, but he knew he couldn't. He turned away and mounted his moped, which he would leave behind when he got close to the bus depot. There was a river halfway between his home and the depot, so he thought that perhaps he could simply dump it in there and make it even harder to find.

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><p>At first Sarah awoke to the sirens. Police sirens were a common sound nearby or even in their cul-de-sac, due to the antics of her brother, Eddy and Double D. But, despite being used to the noise, she immediately knew something was wrong. She looked at her alarm clock, which read 1:46 AM. They never tried anything at this time of night.<p>

She looked out her window and was met with the sight a glowing blaze that consumed one of the houses on the street.

"Oh, no!" She gasped when she saw the macabre spectacle. "That's Double D's house!" Immediately she ran outside not even bothering to put on her shoes or change out of her pajamas. A fire engine was already on scene, trying to fight back the fire from reaching the other houses, while the police had formed a barrier to keep the spectators at a safe distance.

"Everything's all right folks." One of them said. "We have everything under control."

"My friend's in there!" Sarah, Ed and Eddy yelled at the officer at the same time. The police officer turned and called the fire chief over.

"These kids say that their friend is in there."

The fire chief shook his head. "There is no one in that house, my men have already searched through it and we got a phone call saying that there wasn't going to be anyone in it."

"A phone call?" Sarah asked.

The chief nodded. "Yeah. It was a recording, though. The person who made it said that there would be a fire at this address, but no one would be home. If this is the work of an arsonist, he's the politest one I've met. Even asked to put it out before it got out of hand."

"Did this guy have a high pitch voice and use big words?" Eddy asked.

"Well, actually, yeah, he did." The chief said. "Do you know who it is?"

Ed nodded and pointed Double D's burning house. "He lives there."

They all turned their heads and silently watched as the house burned to the ground. No matter how much water the firemen used, the fire would not go out until the house was a small patch of black stone, ash and twisted metal, as if the home was determined to carry out its master's final task for it.

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><p>Double D had dumped his moped into the river an hour ago, before heading out to the bus station and had planted his cell phone in the luggage compartment of an outbound bus. If anyone tried to track him that way, they would have to go all the way to Mexico for nothing but a dead phone. Now sitting on the bus whose ticket he had purchased, he silently wondered if even going to Alaska would be far enough to escape those who will pursue him or if that was overkill and he should make it look like he went to Alaska and discreetly get off somewhere else. After all, he had the entire back seat to himself, so he could fake being asleep, set up a dummy and then get off without anyone noticing…<p>

Or maybe he was just being too paranoid…

Whatever the case, he pulled out his portable laptop and turned it on. It was time for his new journal entries.

_Journal 2 Entry Number One_

_I am currently on a bus that will take me through Canada and into Alaska using one of the many fake identification cards that I have concocted. I have not idea of what I'll do from there in the short term, but I hope to somehow obtain a gun and a home far up and in the mountains at some point in time. Once I have been properly set up, I can continue my research with absolutely zero distractions, provided that my pursuers (do I even have pursuers? Probably law enforcement for the arson crime I just committed at the very least) do not catch up with me. Also due to Alaska's remote nature, I should have no problem with finding a variety of human test subjects, but I do not plan on using my device on anyone until I'm certain it's safe. Well, there's that fact and the fact that I need to build a new one. The one I was using previously was in my house when I burned it down and I'm certain that it is melted heap of slag by this point_

_I can only hope that my actions have ensured the safety of my friends and family, but I hope to see them as soon as possible._

_This maybe the only entry in this new journal of mine, but I will continue adding more as I am able. This Eddward signing off._

Double D closed the document and opened a new browser in its place. The browser was empty and showed only a grey space inside of its borders. He pressed a button on the side of the laptop, with released its CD drive cover. He took one of the discs from his backpack, labels "Subjects 1-7", and put it into the drive. Once the drive had been pushed back into the laptop a prompt came up.

_Begin Program?_

Double D clicked _yes_.

A black space replaced the grey one and seven mice were wandering around in it. Their bodies had not survived the process, but their minds were intact, safely coded as data on the CD. The mice did what any mouse in the physical world did; they sniffed around and explored their new, but empty, habitat. The first phase of his project, Cyber, was over. The next phase would have to wait until he got to Alaska.

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><p>Author's Notes: Well, that's it. I hope to write a sequel or something to that extent when I have time, but until then, I will be completely dedicated to finishing my other unfinished works. Not that I won't be thinking of new things to write about, I already have a few works in progress. This is Mr. Who, signing off.<p> 


End file.
